A beautiful evening was falling over Barbados as the Indian team left the dressing room. This was three hours after those magical moments that shaped Indian cricket’s redemption song at Kensington Oval.
For one last time as a group, they walked to the center wicket – every member of the team, including the support staff – and savoured this moment of history together.This group has won so much, yet they have been through some of most painful losses imaginable. The World Test Championship mace was within touching distance but
Australia snatched it away at the Oval.
The ODI World Cup was just a win away but Travis Head decided to have his day in Ahmedabad on Nov 19, 2023. It would nearly have been an encore of disappointment on Saturday once again when Heinrich Klaasen edged Hardik Pandya for South Africa to choke.
And when Suryakumar Yadav clung onto David Miller’s skier off the first ball of the 20th over that happened to be one of best catches by an Indian since Kapil Dev plucked out Viv Richards in 1983 World Cup final ever played; and it was well and truly India’s cup.
However,this world cup is not a win in a day like other cups.
Following several requests from Dravid; former coach immediately before departure revealed how planning started long ago.
“Back in Sept 2021 ideas began taking shape. Over years we’ve worked on it and here we are on this beautiful Barbados afternoon.” noted Dravid.
Though there were serious attempts made to move needle while batting, loss during final match of 2023 ODI world cup proved difficult for these brave hearts in blue. But as management tried handling dejection a template took shape over next few months.
It had been decided that Kohli and Rohit Sharma should open because nothing will change until one gets injured among them. It had four allrounders plus three left-arm spinners –something that is not exactly common in any form of cricket.
Rohit explained why these unique methods were followed as India went after the prize that has been eluding them for so long.
“See, allrounders needed to add depth. We wanted to see how we could cover all bases, how we could get bowlers who can swing the ball in the beginning and reverse it in the end. Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar had a big role to play in it and the BCCI allowed us to do what we wanted to do. They put a lot of faith in the team and that worked.” Rohit stated.
For some members of this team, it was redemption while for others, it was something more special. Dravid never won a World Cup as a player and “It’s a memory for lifetime” he said about Saturday.
Hardik Pandya’s life had changed drastically at both personal as well as professional levels. He’d seemingly answered both with his bat and ball.
“Yes, many people have said a lot of things about me without necessarily knowing me. It is chill, with you all here I am doing what I was asked to do by the team.” Hardik says having the World Cup in his hands and it would not be outrageous if he becomes India’s next T20 captain. Then there is a Virat.
The best ever batsman for India in T20 cricket had had a terrible World Cup campaign till it turned around on its head in the final. Struggling with form, he played a match-winning innings that made him ‘Man of the Match’ in his last Twenty 20 game.
Virat was happy. The Indian skipper smiled while signing autographs and attend to anyone needing selfies but when somebody wanted him to speak at their send-off, he said: “I’m no talker; I’d just rather play.”
Most are leaving the Indian T20 set-up. Rahul Dravid, the coach who had announced before the tournament that this would be his last time leading an Indian team, said goodbye during prize distribution ceremony. At the prize giving ceremony Kohli bid adieu to Rohit Sharma.in India Today asking him how he feels about ending his T20 career Rohit Sharma said: “This is my moment to quit this format of cricket now that everything has happened like this.”
